1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of fastening devices and more particularly to the field of plastic rivets and their receivers.
2. Background of the Invention
It is well known in the art to employ rivets to fasten materials together. Generally, the rivet is of a cylindrical shape. It may be passed through an object and either flattened or inserted into a receiving member particularly adapted to receive it. The latter type of rivet is secured within the receiving member and the combination of these secured pieces is used to fasten together a number of different objects.
It is also well known to use threaded members, such as screws, to fasten together two or more objects. Care must be taken in the insertion and extraction of these threaded members in order that the threads not be stripped. If its threads are stripped, the threaded member can no longer function as a fastener. When the threaded member is formed from an injection molded plastic, two molds applied parallel to the rod member must be utilized. Only by this alignment of the molds can a threaded member be released from its molds without stripping its threads. Furthermore, the threads on the female cavity can only be formed by an expensive molding process in which the mold rotates out of the cavity after the molded cavity cools.
When manufacturing an object, it is preferred, for cost purposes, that all components, including the fastener, be produced in one operation. This creates difficulty when the object to be fastened is formed from injection molded plastic and the desired fastener is a conventional threaded rod member that is aligned perpendicular to the object to be fastened. If such an object is made in a two-piece mold, the fastener must fully extend into one half of the mold. When the mold separates to release the object, the threads are stripped as the object is removed from the mold. Consequently, there is a need for a fastener that can be fully formed in one part of a mold and removed from a mold without stripping and a method for its production. Moreover, such fastener should be strong enough to support the object being molded when subjected to forces from all directions.